Syria: the Kosovo option in the Middle East

A man suspected of intending to commit a murder, times the commission of the act so as to coincide with the police entering his house. This is what President Assad would have done if he launched his chemical attack just as the UN inspectors arrive to carry out an investigation on the use of chemical weapons in Syria. The “evidence” has been displayed by the “rebels”, whose propaganda centre in Istanbul (organized by the US Department of State), concocts videos and distributes them to the media all over the world.

President Obama now has “very little doubt” that Assad is culpable and considering the UN investigation too “late to be credible”, is evaluating “a response” along the lines of Kosovo: the 1999 air war launched by Nato without UN authorization against Yugoslavia charged with “ethnic cleansing” in Kosovo.

To this end, on 25 – 27 August, the Pentagon summoned the Chiefs of Staff of Canada, Great Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Qatar to Jordan. In Jordan, the US has deployed F-16 fighters, Patriot ground-to-air missiles and around 1,000 soldiers that train armed groups for the “covert war” in Syria.

According to information gathered by “Le Figaro”, a contingent of 300 men, “without doubt supported by Israeli commanders” has infiltrated from Jordan into Syria on 17 August, followed by another, two days later. These are in addition to the many already trained in Turkey. The majority are non-Syrian and come from Afghanistan, Bosnia, Chechnya, Libya and other countries. Generally speaking, they belonging to Islamic groups, some of which Washington has classified as terrorists. Supplied with weapons, brought in from Croatia, through an international network organized by the CIA.

Falling under the heading of “covert war” there is nothing easier than to equip some of these groups with chemical heads, to launch missiles on civilians and then to film the massacre, attributing it to the government forces. Creating thus the case for war (casus ad bellum) that justifies further escalation, peaking in an air war, given that the war conducted from within is unable to bring down the Syrian state.

Such an option, justified by the establishment of a “no-fly zone”, provides a massive launch of cruise missiles, more than 70 on the first night alone, together with a wave of planes that release bombs with satellite guidance remaining outside the Syrian air space.

The preparations began not after but before the alleged chemical attack. In July a group of attacks on the aircraft carrier Harry Truman was launched, including two cruisers and two anti-torpedoes and launch missiles with marine units on board, that operate in the zones of the Sixth and Fifth fleet. Another destroyer launch missile, the Mahan, instead of returning to Virginia, remained in the Mediterranean, on the orders of the Sixth Fleet. Therefore the US Navy alone has already deployed five naval units, plus some submarines, capable of launching hundreds of cruise missiles on Syria. The fighter-bombers are also ready to take off from bases in Italy and in the Middle East.

US naval forces would be joined, still under the command of the Pentagon, by the forces of those countries participating in the meeting in Jordan (including Italy) as well as other countries.

But Syria has a military strength neither Yugoslavia nor Libya had, including more than 600 anti-air installations and missiles with a range of up to 300 km. The war would extend to Lebanon and to other Middle Eastern countries, already involved and would further complicate relations between Washington and Moscow.

Washington is reflecting on this while those in Rome await orders.